christmas trees and creches

on our way home to palo alto from carmel, mom and i stopped at a christmas tree farm in the santa cruz mountains to chop one down for my house. i’ve selected and sawed a tree from this place every december since i moved to the bay area. i loooooooove this tradition, and it was so fun to have my mom with me this year! {last year / year before / year before that}

after some deliberation, mom helped me settle on a gorgeous 8 ft incense cedar. generally, i have a pretty tough time making decisions (especially ones as important as a christmas tree!) but once i’ve decided, i think my choice is for sure the best. yep – i chose the most beautiful christmas tree in the world.

after my tree was safely in its stand in my living room window, i took mom as my date to my ward (church congregation) christmas party. it was great to introduce her to some of my dear friends and giver her a glimpse into my social life. we had really fantastic meetings at church the next day, and after church we went to the palo alto christmas creche exhibit. i’ve loved going to this event each christmas – it’s truly incredible. the church building is transformed into a beautiful gallery showcasing hundreds of nativity scenes from all over the world, of all different styles, made from all kinds of different materials. there are live musicians and air thick with the sweet, true spirit of christmas. i adored sharing this experience with my mom.

yayyyyyy christmastime!!! also. isn’t my mom just the cutest ever?!